Body found in Broken Bow Lake confirmed to be missing woman Alyssa Walker-Donaldson

McCURTAIN COUNTY, Okla. (KSLA) - A dive team searching Broken Bow Lake in McCurtain County pulled a body from a submerged vehicle Thursday morning (Feb. 10).

Sheriff Kevin Clardy confirms the body is that of 24-year-old Alyssa Walker-Donaldson, who was reported missing by family members on Feb. 7.

The sheriff says there are no immediate signs of foul play. A toxicology analysis will be performed. The sheriff says there is no indication that the case is connected to the escaped inmates in the area, as many had speculated. Family members have been notified of the death.

Family members and friends were gathered at the lake beginning around 8 a.m. Thursday waiting for the dive team to bring the vehicle out of the water.

Sheriff Clardy says airplanes and drones were searching the area for two days for Walker-Donaldson before she was discovered in the lake. Oklahoma Highway Patrol was contacted to assist since they have jurisdiction over the water. At that point, it was confirmed there was a body inside the vehicle.

The sheriff also says many hours of video footage were reviewed. At this time, there’s no indication of foul play and no suspects in the case. An autopsy will be performed. The sheriff says there was nothing out of place inside the vehicle, but that it did have damage to the front end.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol will continue the investigation into how Walker-Donaldson wound up in the lake.

Sheriff Clardy says they are trying to make contact with a man Walker-Donaldson was reportedly seen arguing with before she left The Watering Hole. He says that man is currently in Texas and is returning in order to speak with deputies.

Walker-Donaldson was last seen at a bar along U.S. 259 and was headed to another bar about a mile down the road when she vanished. On Wednesday, Feb. 9, her vehicle was discovered in the water near the southern tip of the lake. A sonar airplane found the vehicle in about 20 feet of water near the boat ramp at Stevens Gap Road.

The McCurtain County Sheriff’s Office had been searching for Walker-Donaldson for several days, following up on numerous leads and tips. Dozens of volunteers from the community were also searching for the missing woman, her aunt told KSLA Wednesday morning.

Walker-Donaldson was the mother of a young girl.

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